Tag Archives: Jamie Benn

The Canadiens found themselves in a couple of 5 on 3 pickles, saw Alexei Emelin get the boot for pounding Jason Spezza into the boards (which led to one of those 5 on 3s), but with some big time help from Carey Price, skated away with a 3-2 win over the visiting Dallas Stars.

A fine yet fortunate outcome for the boys, after being outshot 42-26 and for much of the night outskated, but with Price doing his thing we know any night can mean two points. It warms the innards. We just don’t need any Krieder-like crease bulldozing from now to late spring.

That’s three straight, four of their last five, and the Canadiens continue to roll along, mostly because the aforementioned guy between the pipes is the best in the business. And once again he had the job of handing out pucks to lucky fans after being chosen first star.

This guy has given away a lot of pucks this year.

Alexei Emelin early on gave his team the lead when he shot into a herd of players down low near the boards, the puck somehow skirted to the front, caromed off a Stars d-man, and into the net it went.

The Canadiens then made it 2-0 when Alex Galchenyuk dashed in from the left side, moved nicely around the lone defenceman, and backhanded it past goalie Kari Lehtonen. They were off to the races. Going good. The Ole singers were clearing their throats.

Until Manny Malhotra, for some inexplicable reason, was tossed from the faceoff circle with 3 seconds left in the first and was replaced by Brendan Gallagher, who was outmatched on the draw and Jamie Benn blasted it home with only a second left to make it a 2-1 game.

Speaking of Gally, he’d give his team a two-goal lead on the power play in the second period, and I don’t really have to describe Gally’s goal. He did the old Gally three step – fought like a demon in the crease, didn’t give up, and ended up pounding it home.

Throughout the second and third periods the game became a tense deal, especially after Dallas scored to make it 3-2 in the second when Emelin’s major had just 17 seconds still left on it.

But they hung on throughout, mostly because of Price. Thank you Price.

Now it’s a short hop to New York to tackle the Rangers on Thursday. I’m betting Price will be chosen first star.

Team Canada played a tremendously solid game against a good U.S. and now move on to meet the Swedes on Sunday for the gold medal.

As a proud Canadian, it’s been a good two days, with first the women winning it all and now the men moving a big step closer.

I don’t care that the weather up here leaves a lot to be desired. Sometimes the weather’s great. Anyway, we’re a tough bunch, and If we didn’t have bad weather, we’d have a lot less to talk about at parties.

Canada’s an exceptionally wonderful country and anyone who hasn’t been here needs to smarten up.

But back to the game.

Many said leading up to today that it could be a high scoring affair. It wasn’t.

Many said throughout the tournament, and long before, that Carey Price in nets would be a mistake. It was no mistake.

Price has been solid as a rock. He’s come through. And his calm demeanor has probably helped not only himself but his teammates too.

The pressure of winning in the Olympics is intense, but Price is used to it. He plays for the Montreal Canadiens.

Just a great showing by the Habs goaltender in Sochi, and maybe the critics will take a few days off now.

Jamie Benn scored Canada’s lone goal, a nice redirection of a Jay Bouwmeester pass, and that was it. The lone goal and the winner. It was all that was needed with Price holding the fort.

Benn’s been good. And I thought Crosby and Kunitz had their best showing of the tournament and swarmed the American end often. Kunitz especially had about a half dozen good chances.

Now it’s Sweden at 7 am ET on Sunday for all the marbles. One more big game needed. One more game where everyone has to play like it’s game seven of the Stanley Cup finals, which is bigger than you think, Rene Fasel.

Proud of the two Canadian teams, proud of my country. But I can’t get carried away. I’ll have nothing to write on Sunday.

“Did you like the game, Elmer?”
“Sure did, Red. Did somebody say the weather’s good in Canada?”

It wasn’t the most exciting game ever played, and hopefully many Caps fans took advantage of those seat specials featuring unlimited beer. The ones who didn’t probably feel ripped off, now that they’re slowly waking up..

Canadiens win a big road game, suddenly things are going swimmingly, and for the time being, happy days are here again. I know those L’Antichambre fellows on RDS are simply giddy in a big way after the big game. I wish I knew what they were talking about.

We can only imagine what the two previous years might have been like for the Canadiens if Andrei Markov would have been healthy and played full seasons instead of 7 games two years ago and 13 last year. Things might have been way different, the power play wouldn’t have been nearly so feeble, and who knows what might have happened in the spring. When we see Markov in control, we see one of the finest D-men in the league, and we need him on the ice, not in the infirmary.

As was the case two nights ago against Florida, the Habs came out on top 4-1 against the Caps, with Markov bulging the twine with the man advantage, as he had done twice against Florida. I say the obvious when I say we definitely don’t need another serious Markov injury. He’s the quarterback. He’s the guy helping Emelin and Diaz. He’s the guy getting it done while Mr. Subban sits at home not getting it done.

Carey Price was as solid as can be, again, and came withing just over two minutes of a well-earned shutout. We have to feel good about our goalie. It was obvious not much was going to get by him on this night, he was in full control, although Washington looked full marks for their poor start. They didn’t look quite as listless as the Habs against Toronto on opening night, but they were far from great. They might need some unlimited beer as well.

Random Notes:

Washington may not have been great, but they outshot the Canadiens 31-22. But Price was there, holding the fort.

Montreal was 2-5 on the power play.

The kids, Galchenyuk and Gallagher, were quiet but came up with a small handful of chances anyway. They’re getting their feet wet, and they’re doing just fine.

Ralphel Diaz, with five assists thus far, is the league’s leading d-man point-getter. Markov’s right behind with four points.

Next up – Sunday, when the New Jersey Devils show up at the Bell Centre.

The Leafs were leading the Islanders 3-1 after the first period tonight and ended up losing 7-4.

Jamie Benn has finally signed in Dallas for a reported five years, $26.25 million ($5.25 per year). Now we wonder about Subban again.